Car-coupling.



No. 766,805. PATENTBD AUG. 9, "1904. G. A. BRIEGLBB.

GAR GOUPLING.

APPLICATION I'ILIED APE. 18. 1904.

H0 MODEL.

Patented August 9, 1904.

PATENT OEEICE.

A(JrUSTAl/US A. BRIEG'LEB, OF FULTON, MISSOURI.

CAR-COUPLINC-.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 766,805, dated August 9, 1904.

Application led April 1S, 1904.

To LZZ whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, GUs'rAvUs A. BRIEGLEB, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fulton, in the county of Callaway and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oar-Couplers, of which the following' is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in automatic car-couplers; and it consists in the novel arrangement, combination, and construction of parts hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In order that thev invention may be fully understood, reference will now be made tothe accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 represents aplan view of two couplers in a locked position. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of one of the draw-heads and its coupling-lever, taken on line III III of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of a safety-lever forming part of the invention. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of one of i the uncoupling-levers forming part of the invention.

In said drawings, 1 designates the drawheads, provided at their opposing ends with pockets 2 for the reception of projections 8, which prevent independent lateral movement of the draw-heads when in a coupled position. Each draw-head is provided at one side with an integral lug 4,` having' a beveled front portion 5 and a rear square shoulder 6, communicating with a recess 7.

8 designates coupling-levers fulcrumed at one side of each draw-head on vertical pins 9, secured in the forward ends of rearwardlyextending ribs 10. Levers 8 have beveled forward ends 11 and apertures 12, which latter are adapted to engage lugs '4 and hold the draw-heads in a coupled position. The apertured ends of levers 8 are normally held in contact-with the forward ends of thedrawheads by expansion-springs 13, interposed between the rear portion of the levers and the adjacent sides of the draw-heads, said springs being held in position by pins 14, projecting from the sid es of the draw-heads through slots 15 in levers 8.

16 designates safety-levers pivotally se- Serial No. 203,548. (No model.)

cured to the `top of each draw-head by caps 17. Each of said safety-levers consist of a right-angular member 18, the horizontal portion of which is pivoted in cap 17, an L-shaped arm 19, secured near the pivoted end of the horizontal portion of member 18, and a horizontal arln 20, rigidly secured to the vertical portion of member 18 and consisting of a rearwardlyextending weighted portion 21 and a forwardly-extending portion 22, which latter is adapted to engage the adjacent end of couplingelever 8 and prevent the latter from becoming' accidentally disengaged from the interlocking lug 4. Forward portion 22 is bent outwardly at 221L and terminates in a forwardly-extending portion 221.

23 designates L-shaped stops projecting outwardly from the underside of each draw-head, against which the vertical portion ofmelnbers Iii-contact and prevent the weighted portions 21 from swinging below a horizontal plane, and thus elevating front portions 22 above the adjacent ends of levers 8.

24 designates transversely-extending' uncouplingdevers fulerumed on bolts l25, engaging the top of each draw-head in the rear of caps 17. Each of said levers is provided at one end with a handle 26 and at its opposite end with a depending portion-27, adapted to engage the rear portion of the adjacent lever 8.

As the opposing' draw-heads are brought together the beveled forward ends of levers 8 contact with and slide outwardly on beveled portions 5 of lugs 4 until apertures 12 register with said lugs and are forced into engagement with their square shoulder 6 by springs 13. As levers 8 move forwardly with the drawheads their forward ends contact with portions 22 of levers 16 and depress the forward ends of the latter until apertures 12 engage lugs 4 and permit the forward ends of the coupling-levers to spring into recesses 7 and out of engagement with the safety-levers, when arms 20 immediately assume a horizontal position, so that their forward ends will prevent the forward ends of levers 8 from moving outwardly and becoming disengaged from lugs 4. vWhile performing' this function the safety-levers are assisted in resisting any outward pressure which the Coupling-levers may exert by IOO the vertical portion of right-angular members 18 engaging the rearwardly-extending arms of stops 23. The draw-heads may be quickly uncoupled by grasping the handles of uncouplinglevers 24 and drawing them together, as shown by dotted lines, Fig. 1,which movement brings said levers into contact with arms 19, which are thereby depressed into contact with the top of the draw-heads, as shown by dotted lines, Fig. 1. The depression of arms 19 swings the forward ends of the safety-levers downwardly to the rear of the forward ends of the coupling-levers, as shown by dotted lines, Fig. 2, so the latter may swing outwardly and disengage lugs 4, when the depending portions 27 of the uncoupling-levers swing around and press the rear ends of 1evers 8 into contact with the adjacent sides of the draw-heads, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1. The handles of levers 8 are prevented from passing each other by depending pins 28, secured in the outer terminals thereof. After the draw-heads are drawn apart and handles 26 released the rear ends of levers 8 are swung outwardly by springs 13 and the safety-levers are returned to their normal position by weighted portions 21, so that the several parts of the mechanism will be in position to automatically couple the draw-heads when the latter are again brought together.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. 1n a car-coupling mechanism, a pair of opposing draw-heads, each provided at its forward end with a pocket and a projection for engaging the pocket and projection on the opposing draw-head, a lug on one side of each draw-head havinga beveled forward edge and a square rear shoulder, and a coupling-lever fulcrumed on the opposite side of each drawhead, the lever on one draw-head adapted to automatically engage the lug on the opposing draw-head when said draw-heads are brought together.

2. In a car-coupling mechanism, a pair of opposing draw-heads, each provided at its forward end with a pocket and a projection for engaging the pocket and projection on the opposing draw-head, a lug on one side of each ldraw-head havinga beveled forward edge and a square rear shoulder, a coupling-lever fulcrumed on the opposite side of each draw-head, the lever on one draw-head adapted to automatically engage the lug on the opposing' drawhead when said draw-heads are brought together, and a safety-lever fulcrumed on each draw-head on the same side as the lug and adapted to prevent the coupling-lever from becoming accidentally disengaged from the lug.

3. In a car-coupling mechanism, a pair of opposing draw-heads, a lug on one side of each draw-head, a coupling-lever fulcrumed on the opposite side of each draw-head, the lever on one draw-head adapted to automatically engage the lug on the opposing draw-head when said draw-heads are brought together,a safetylever on each draw-head consisting in a rightangular portion the horizontal member of which is fulcrumed upon the draw-head, a horizontal member secured to the vertical portion of the right-angular' member having one end adapted to overlap the forward end of the coupling-lever on the opposing draw-head, and arear weighted end for normally holding it in a horizontal position; and a stop secured to each'draw-head for limiting the downward movement of the weighted end of the safetylever.

4. A car-coupling mechanism, consisting in a pair of opposing draw-heads, a lug on one side of each draw-head, a coupling-lever ful- .crumed on the opposite side of each drawhead, the lever on one draw-head adapted to automatically engage the lug on the opposing draw-head when said draw-heads are brought together, a safety-lever on each draw-head comprising a right-angular member the horizontal portion of which is fulcrumed on the draw-head, a horizontal member rigidly secured to the vertical portion of the right-angular member, having a forward extension adapted to overlap the forward end of the coupling-lever on the opposing draw-head, and a weighted rear end for normally holding the member in a horizontal position, and an L- shaped arm rigidly secured to the horizontal portion of the right-angular member; and an Auncoupling-lever fulcrumed upon each drawhead and adapted to contact with the L-shaped arm of the safety-lever and depress the forward end of the latter out of the path of the adjacent end of the coupling-lever, and also disengage the latter from the lug.

5. A car-coupling mechanism, consisting in a pair of opposing draw-heads, each provided at its forward end with a pocket and projection for engaging the pocket and projection on the opposing draw-head, a lug 0n one side of each draw-head, a lever on one draw-head IOO IIO

adapted to automatically engage the lug on the op posing draw-head when said draw-heads are brought together, a safety-lever fulcrumed on each draw-head adjacent to the lug and adapted to overlap the forward end of the coupling-lever on the opposing draw-head, and an uncoupling-lever fulcrumed on each draw-head adapted to move the safety-lever out of the path of the coupling-lever, and prof the draw-head and provided with a beveled the same into Contact with the adjacent side forward end and an aperture adjacent thereto, ot the draw-head. IO means Yfor normally holding the apertured end In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature 1n or' the coupling-lever against the forward end the presence of two witnesses.

of the draw-head, and an uneoupling-lever GUSTAVUS A. BRIEGLEB, fulorurned on the draw-head and provided Witnesses:

with a depending' portion adapted to engage D. l. BARTLEY,

the rear end or' the Coupling-lever and press E. WV. GRANT. 

